Geek Central Presents LIVE

Today, we launched a new tab on our blog. It is called LIVE. During big events before, during or after, we will be commenting on that page all about the topic. You can comment or email us with any questions on the topic. It is really going to be fun. Check out the tab for upcoming LIVE dates. A few are already announced.

Disney's Art of Animation Opens Today

In just a few minutes, Disney is opening the first part of the Art of Animation Resort. It is a big hotel  that is all PIXAR movie themed. There is a CARS, FINDING NEMO area and much more. Here is the schedule how they will open.

Finding Nemo area – Opens May 31

Cars area – Opens June 18

Lion King area – Opens August 10

Little Mermaid area – Opens September 15

You can tell you that this resort is going to rock. Be sure to book this resort on your next visit to Walt Disney World Resort. Sadly we are not at the resort though. We will be keeping you infomed about the grand opening ceremony from other sites.

Sea World San Diego's Manta Opening!

 

By D.Z.

On May 26, 2012, Sea World San Diego opened there new ride called Manta! Manta is a great roller coaster taking you through the world of rays. You first start out inside a dome building. It looks like you are under the sea. Then, you are launched off very, very fast. The ride is half a mile. It is so much fun. It goes by fast though. Before you know it, the ride is actually over. You also have some good views. The also have a new 100,000 gallon aquarium honoring the rays. Be sure to check out the ride, where you can "Ride the Ray and Feel the Rush!"

The Kissing Statue!

By D.Z. Theme Park Specialist
On Wednesday May 30, the Kissing Statue was taken off the grounds of San Diego. The kissing statue is a solider and a nurse kissing after the win of World War 2. The statue has traveled all around the United States. One time it was in New York. We believe it is heading to New Jersey. San Diegan's liked it so mach, that they raised enough money to get a replica of it. We were able to see original it before it left. Hopefully, we will have another video of it up. We already have one up now though. The new one will be a little different. Also, hopefully the new statue will be up soon.

Happening in the Parks Week 1

By D.Z. Theme Park Specialist

Hi everyone. Every week or so, I will be doing a post that talks about updates in theme parks. We mostly visit theme parks like Disneyland once a week. Sometimes we do not go to a park every week though. This week is just after a lot of attractions have opened.

Manta at Sea World San Diego is doing really well. The wait times on Monday were about a hour.

Next on our list is LEGOLAND's Pirate Reef. It is where you go down a big drop drenching two pirate ships. The ride will for sure get you wet. The wait time was about a hour too.

Another thing on our list, that we have not visited was the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center's new exhibit called Grossology. Sadly, when we were going to go to it on Memorial Day, but they were closed. We should be able to talk more about that in the incoming weeks.

Our last thing that we are going to talk about is our trip to Universal Studios Hollywood to see Transformers 3D! Wait times are about 90 minutes.

Well, that wraps up our first week of Happening in the Parks!

Carthay Circle Theatre Opens June 15

By D.Z. Theme Park Specialist 

At Disney's California Adventures, they are opening a theatre called the Carthay Circle Theatre! It used to be a real theatre in LA, where Snow White Premiered. The theatre includes restaurants too. It opens on June 15, along with Cars Land and the re launch of the Matterhorn. We were got there and they took down the walls around the theatre. CM (cast members) are actually giving out little cards that say the opening date. If you would like to get reservation for the restaurant, call 714-781-3460!

M&M other new segment

hi again, M&M here with another segment, in this segment ill ask whose the best of this group of people. In honnor of the new movie "the Avengers" my first poll will be about them, so whose the most powerful avenger. Hwakeye,Iron-man Captin America, Black widow, Hulk, or Thor.

tell me your awnser

Hulk

 thor and captin america

black widow

iron-man

hawk-eye

Meet M&M and the new segment "Did you know"

Hi everyone I'm M&M (Mustache Man). I'm a new member to the geek central staff. Geek central found me in Mexico and I joined them. Im starting a new segment where I tell you all about new video games before you buy them (called did you know), and I'll be telling you about awesome songs to listen to. (Just ask me what king of music you like and I'll find great songs for you). Also, ill be reviwing awesome shows on tv shows.

First of all, did you know a new star wars the clone wars season will be coming out in the summer (the company has not decided on a day to start the show).

Next, Calll of Duty Black Ops 2 wll be coming out in November. I personally like the Call of Duty series, but the company took it a littile to seriousley when the tried to make the game more modern. Now its more like Halo, if you don't belive me go on youtube and look it up. Another new game coming out is Halo 4! Halo 4 looks really cool, and Master cheif returns, but the game will have a new abaility where you will be able to see through walls (so sadley no more camping).

If you want to find out about the right music for you just email me and tell me what kind of music you like, and ill get you the right music for you.


                                                          Geeks Rule!!!!
                                                             M&M
                                                         

                                                       

                                            

ElecTRONica Tribute

Tribute by the TRON Fans

It is time for Geek Centrals first ever tribute. We are talking about ElecTRONica! It was a "attraction" at Disney's California Adventures. ElecTRONica is really a big party, that covers Hollywood Land! It usually starts around 6 or 7 at night. They have live dancers preform shows. On special days, they may have a special dance group come. They are dressed up as if they were in the world of TRON! Another cool part of Laser Man. There are lots of lasers around one guy and they go everywhere. Hard to describe. ElecTRONica opened on October 8, 2010. We were able to see it the next day on October 9. The party is usually crowded. It really gives you a reason to stay at the park during the night. The shows usually ends when the park closes. They have a game spot called FLYNN'S.. It was in the movie. Just before the attraction closed, they had a camera that would project the party onto Monsters Inc... Monsters Inc is right next to one of the party spots. Over its time, they have moved the stages and changing some things due to the renovation. We really want to commend Disney for doing this. It is so hard to do something where you are building... The dance party stages was only a few feet from the construction sites. Then on April 15, ElecTRONica made its last dance move! On June 15, The Mad T. Party will be opening. It is the replacement of EleTRONica! Who knows, maybe it will be as great as TRON. So what do you think? Tron or Mad Hatter? Email us at infogeekcentral@gmail.com! Be sure to check out our ElecTRONica Tribute video and photos!

Who am I?

Hi. I am the newest member of the Geek Central Blog department. My name is Mister Mustachio. The other guys picked me up in Italy. I am starting a new segment called "Who am I?". I say a couple of facts and you guess who it is. My first character is easy.
It is a male.
He is a Marvel hero.
He has a red and blue outfit.
He is intelligent.
He had an "incident".
He is a photographer.

35th Anniversary of Space Mountain

Everyone knows that great, fast ride that takes you through twists and turns.. If you don't, that ride is Space Mountain at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. Everyone who goes on that ride really enjoys it. The cool thing is, you never know where you are going. It is all dark inside this giant dome. It first opened in the Magic Kingdom in the 60s. Then, Disneyland made the ride even better, opening Anahiem's on May 27, 1977! One Disney guest referred to the ride "you never know what the ride brings to you. It is impossible to memorize all the twists and turns that make up this ride." Photo by D.Z. Geek Central's Photographer!

This Weeks Theme Park Highlights

This week, a lot happened in the theme park news. 4, we are covering in the blog. Here is what each are about.

1. Legoland California opened Pirate Reef on May 25. The ride is where you go down a 25 foot drop, drenching two life size LEGO pirate ships battling!
2. Legoland Florida opened the worlds second ever Legoland Water Park on May 26. It opened by Legoland's General Manger cutting the ribbon getting soaked by a giant bucket dropping on him!
3. Manta at Sea World San Diego opened on may 26. Manta is a roller coaster where you get to zoom as if you were a ray.
4. Transformers The Ride 3D opened at Universal Studios Hollywood on May 25.

All photos and will be posted later. Some are already posted now!

Happy 75 Anniversay Golden Gate Bridge

By D.Z. Theme Park Specialist



Today is the 75 anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. That means the bridge has celebrated 3 BIG milestones. Now here, we will tell you some history of the bridge.. IT IS NOT JUST A BRIDGE! The bridge is one of the most recognizable symbols of San Francisco. Tourists refer to it as "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world." The bridge is a short route from San Francisco to Marin County. Back in the 1800s ferry's were around. They were called the Golden Gate Ferry Company. But that was not enough. Lots of people wanted a bridge. Lots also said it would not be possible. The concept was laid, but an engineer said the cost would be about 100 million. Then a company promised it would be built for 17 million. They then started designing what it would look like. The construction started, and they opened the bridge on May 27, 1937! 75 years ago from today! If you want to learn more about the bridge's history, visit http://www.goldengatebridge75.org/ and buy tickets for a 45 minute tour of the bridge!

Universal's Cinematic Spectacular 100 Years of Movie Memmories

By D.Z. Theme Park Specialist
The Universal Cinematic Spectacular is such a great show. It is like a World of Color show at Disneyland. The show is a 20 minute celebration of 100 years of great Universal movies! They show clips from many universal movies like Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, ET and much much more! The whole show is narrated by Morgan Freedmon! In one scene they talk about the scary films created and in another, they talk about good vs. evil. It is such a brilliant show. The only thing is, no video can capture it. During the show, fireworks go off, projections around you and much more!

Head to Head 4

Mr. Moneybag$

  Last week's winner was Bumblebee, because the Green Lantern ring doesn't work on the color yellow, (stupid right). And there is a different winner for Katniss and Robin Hood, Robin Hood wins. This week's is the Human Torch vr. Boba Fett.

Mad T. Party Previews Tonight

Tonight is the official start of Mad T. Party preview at Disney California Adventures! The Mad T. Party is where you get to mix and mingle with friends enjoying live bands all dressed up as if they were siblings of the Mad Hatter. Lots of it is rock and roll. Also, you can go to the House of Cards. It officially opens June 15. The "party" is all over Hollywood Land at DCA! It is replacing Eletronica, that has been around for over a year. We will soon be having a Remembering Eletronica post along with video and photos.

USF ADDICTS Universal Orlando Scavanger Hunt

 By D.Z. Theme Park Specialist!

Our goods friends at USF Addicts are having a really cool thing going on now! It is called the Universal Orlando Scavenger Hunt! The hunt has 20 scavenger photos. They are all cropped so you can't see anything around it! Each island has 20 pictures equaling out to 140 photos! Some are signs. Some arn't. Each photo will come along with a hint where it is. You job is to submit a photo of it or write it in at http://www.usfaddicts.net/ioascavengerhunt/! Doesn't this sound so exciting? You do have to purchase this, but it is cheap and a good opportunity! How cool of USF Addicts to do that. Be sure to check it out. This is going to be a really cool thing!

Transfomers The Ride in 3D NOW OPEN

 

Review by D.Z. Theme Park Specialist

Today, Transformers the Ride in 3D opened up. Yesterday, all the media (including us) got a sneak peek of it! The opening was really cool too. They had some of the hero's of the movie come. Then the battle began, and they opened Transformers 3D! The ride is really cool. You actually feel like you are there. Universal did a super job on it. Just the line is cool. It makes it better for you to wait. Then you get in these really awesome vehicles, and you are off! Every part of the ride is action. It feels like they are right next to you! I would give it 4 out of five. It is a must see ride for sure! Photo from http://www.nickutopia.com/2012/02/06/transformers-the-ride-3d-teaser-trailer-universal-studios-hollywood/

Pirate Reef NOW OPEN!

By D.Z. Theme Park Specialist
Today, Legoland unlocked the treasure chest of a new ride called Pirate Reef. It is where you go down a 25 foot drop drenching two battling pirate ships. The ride has been in the works for many months. They announced it back at the end of January. The ride is so much fun. It is well worth it. Legoland is one of those great places to go over the 2012 Summer. Not to mention the Legoland Hotel opening in 2013! So here is the story about the ride. One day two captains decided to battle. The only thing is they need your side. You are able to pick a side of Captain Red Brick or Captain Blue Brick. Then you can go down a boat to watch the battle down below! Also, now one walks out dry.

USF Addicts Website Interview

By D.Z. Theme Park Specialist
Hey everyone. Do we have a treat for you. We were lucky enough to interview Tyler Leonard. He is the CEO and founder of the USF Addicts website. You can find his site at http://www.usfaddicts.net/. His website is all about Universal Orlando Resort! He provides great photo and video updates of the theme parks. Even if you have never been to Univerrsal Orlando, or have been 1000 times, you should all check out USF Addicts website. Ok, the momment you have all been waiting for. Here is the interview!

Question 1- What made you want to do the website?

Well, I have always been a member of online Theme Park Forums and they were all to broad, in my opinion. I thought of the idea to just have my favorite theme park as one. I started the site in late 2010, then it only had about 15 members and now has over 1,500+ on our Facebook page. Then, I changed the site, to a news site and after some minor tweaks and theme changes on the way, the site is how it is now.

 Question 2- What theme park in the resort is your favorite?

Most defiantly Universal Studios Florida. I choose this, because it is like the hidden gem of the resort, everyone underestimates it, they would rather go to Potter or Islands of Adventure. I would rather go the road not taken and go to Universal. I love the Movie Studio theme to it, and I love all of the rides they have there and it has always been a place in my heart.

Question 3- Do you want a job at the park? If so, what would it be?

Yes! I would love to have a job at Universal Orlando. If I had to choose one ride to work at, I would choose Men In Black: Alien Attack. I say this because, I love the original Men In Black and the ride is one of the only places you can still act in the whole park (the pre-show you can do a spiel if you want)

Question 4- Out of all the theme parks in Florida, why does Universal Orlando really stick out to you?

 Universal Orlando really sticks out to me because they have the broadest selection of rides, in my opinion. They cater every type of theme park fan. They have Dark Rides, Roller Coasters, Family Rides, they have it all! Plus, I have grown up watching all of the rides you can ride at Universal and Islands of Adventure.

Question 5- Any plans to expand the site in the future?

Well, yes.. *Shhhhh*. I one day plan to take the site in to Orlando Park Addicts (OPA). There I would have ALL Orlando theme parks and cater to every theme park fan. I will say no further on that at this time. ;)

Special thanks to Tyler for connecting with us to do this. Please check out this site. It is well deserved.

Fan of the Week!

Hello everybody. We are happy to announce, this weeks FAN OF THE WEEK, is Lee Lee! Thanks for commenting on some of our posts. If you would like to be our next FAN OF THE WEEK, comment on our posts, send us a email or even both!

Legoland Water Park Almost Open!

Post by D.Z. Geek Central's Theme Park Specialist

Hey everyone. Just this Saturday, Legoland Florida is opening the world's second ever Legoland Water Park. The first one was at Legoland California. The water park was built off of a water park close by. The water park officially opens on May 26! Be sure to check out Legoland Florida's facebook for more information and updates. www.facebook.com/LEGOLANDFlorida Photo of Legoland California's water park!

Sea Life Aquarium San Diego

Review by D.Z.

 We just got back from, Sea Life Aquarium, next to the Legoland California Resort! The aquarium is two stories with one restaurant! The best part of the aquarium is the Lost City of Atlantis Tank! It is where you go through a 20 foot tube. Because Legoland owns the aquarium, they have a lot of LEGO models in the tanks. The Atlantis tank has a lot of them. The fish love to relax by them too! At around 11am, they have a thing called the Daily Dive! It is where a diver goes into the Lost City of Atlantis and by the power of technology, he talks to you. It is so much fun interacting with him. He gives you a lot of information on the aquarium itself and the creatures of the deep. Besides the fun at the Lost City, they have so many hands on things. You can do a ray expadition too! There are two tide pools. One is outside on the first floor, the other at the second inside! As you can tell, Sea Life is very fun! Photos and videos soon!

Universal Studios Hollywood Review!

By D.Z.

Universal Studios Hollywood is such a great theme park. All the rides are based off movies. (like any other Universal Studios) A fun ride is The Simpson's Ride! It is where you are transported to Krustyland! Krustyland is a amusement park created by Krusty the clown. The ride takes you though all the attractions at Krustyland with the Simpson's trying to escape a villain. In one part, Homer is running away from a swaying ball on a roller coaster. The craziest part is, you are looking at a TV screen. Your vehicle does move though. Up, down, side to side and back. Another fan favorite is the Studio Tour. It is a great way to start off the day. You get to go on a 45 minute tour around the Universal back lot. It is where you see real sets from movies like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Despot Housewives, Jaws, War of Worlds, Great Outdoors and much more! Going to Universal is worth just going on the tour! Ohhh, and sometimes they might even be filming a movie! As you can tell, Universal Studios Hollywood is fun for the whole family. For those little kids, they even have a water play area. For the big kids, they have scare rides like Revenge of the Mummy. Actually this summer, Universal is opening Transformers! Be sure to check that out too!

Pirate Reef Opening at Legoland Friday

By D.Z.

This Friday, Pirate Reef will be opening up at Legoland California! The ride is where you go down a 25 foot drop drenching 2 battling pirate ships drenching people on it! The ride was announced back in January. They have worked really hard to get the ride done for the 25! Just to let you know, if you go on the 26, the ride will be closed due to filming! If you want to check out the ride progress, look on the Legoland youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/legolandcalifornia!

World of Color Show Ups and Downs Review

This review will state everything you should know about the show. Much of it is just finding a way to get to the show.

World of Color is a nightly show at Disney's California Adventure theme park! There show times are usually 9:00PM, 10:15 and 11:15! This is such a great show, that people want a really good viewing area. If you want a front view (the best view) you need to get a fast pass or a picnic meal! You can get a fast pass in the morning at the Grizzly River Run Terminal. Sadly, it starts right when the park opens. A lot walk out with no ticket. That means, if they want to see the show they would have to watch it across the pier. Yes, you can see the show, but the projections are backwards. Also, now they project things onto rides behind the pier. You are behind the pier so you can't really see them well. A good way to see the show and sit in the front are the picnic meals. They do cost money. (ranging from 15-35 dollars) Each meal is 15.99 plus tax! You do need to order it online at http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneys-california-adventure/world-of-color-picnics/! On the day of your visit, you then eat at the "Sonoma Terrace at Golden Vine Winery" about 100 feet from World of Color! Not only do you get a meal, but everyone gets a World of Color bracelet and much more. Also one World of Color bag too. Then a Cast Member gives you a lookalike fast pass that allows you in the front seating for World of Color! Ohhhh, and there is also one more way to see the show. You can go to Ariel's Grotto, next to the bay and order a special kind of food. Then they present you with a ticket to go on the bridge and see World of Color! The bridge is a really great view. There, you can see the whole show left to right. Sadly, you don't get wet like the front side. The front side does have to wait a long time for the show to began, so be patient! Now we have shown you all the ways to see World of Color! Now here is a review on the SHOW!

 World of Color is such a great show. Everything about it is magical. It has a great way of storytelling on colored fountains. They are able to project clips from Disney movies out of water.The show is 25 minutes and every part, especially the finale is super wonderful. Disney could not do a better job with this. It really ends your day with a magical feeling. Actually, if you go during the holidays or when a Disney movie is about to hit theatres, they change the show including clips from the theme. When TRON came out, they had lazers all around California Screaming. That is a roller coaster behind the show. World of Color, the show itself is certainly 5 stars.

Head to Head #3

By Mr. Moneybag$

The winner of last week was Yoda. It is fierce in the beginning, but Yoda jumps on Optimus's back (for Yoda cannot do a mind trick on Prime) and then the old Jedi master cuts to Optimus's spark/heart and rips it out after he slashed it multiple times. This weeks contest is Bumblebee the transformer versus Kilowog the Green Lantern.

Tour of Califronia Day 2

Today was a ride from Downtown San Fransisco to Santa Cruz county. The ride was pretty fun. Some mountains. The best part was San Fransisco. We could see the famous prison Alcatraz is the fog. Sadly, we were not able to check out the city. But, we did get some good photos when we passed by. The photo was taken on the Golden Gate Bridge!

Geek Central Blog Awards

It is time for the first ever Geek Central Awards! Here is the deal. You have until July 4th to vote for these categories! You can vote by emailing infogeekcentral@gmail.com or by just commenting below! Now here is what you can vote for...

Favorite Movie: Harry Potter (any), Zookepper, The Hunger Games, Star Wars (any), Batman the Dark Knight (any), Superman (any), X-men (any), and Avengers
Favorite Book: Kingdom Keepers, Hunger Games and Peter and the Starcatchers
Favorite School: Elementary, Middle and High
Favorite Awards: Kids Choice, Oscars, Grammy's and Teen Choice
Favorite Theme Park: Disneyland, Legoland and Universal Studios

Mickey's Halloween Party Review

The Mickey Not So Scary Halloween Party was AMAZING! From the giant pumpkin on Main Street to the Christmas Themed Haunted Mansion (which included a new spooky gingerbread house) every corner of Disneyland was well in spirit. The castle was so pretty, whoops i mean spooky lol. My favorite part was being able to dress up with my friends and trick-or-treat all over the park even if there was apples at some stations. The villains were out and about being scary like always. Something really cool was that we even got to take a picture with Phineas and Ferb and Perry the platypus, overall there was many opportunities for photography. The parade was absolutely magnificent with awesome dancing singing and more, but the best part of the night was the HUGE firework display!!! The firework display included songs from iconic Disney movies and even had fire flames as well as Zero going around the castle too. I went on the 27th of October and didn't realize how busy the park was going to be! I was surprised that we managed to ride any rides! There was only two downfalls to my Disney visit. Pirates of the Caribbean wasn't open and neither was Small World :( Overall the Halloween Party was defiantly worth going to! I can't wait until next year to see all the beautiful decorations and dance with Donald Duck again!!! I would encourage anybody to come from ages 1 to 101 to come enjoy all the fun :) I truly hope you will be able to visit the Halloween extravaganza next year!!!

Twilight Zone Day!

By Geek Zach

Hello! Happy Twilight Zone day! . Now you might be thinking why is it Twilight Zone day? We don't even no!!! Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone

A Geek Podcast #2!

In this podcast, we are at the Disneyland Resort! In it, we go on some rides and tell you what is going on! In it, we go to:

• Main Street
• Haunted Mansion
• Tower of Terror
• Monsters Inc

Doesn't this podcast sound so fun? We just recorded it yeasterday! You might be thinking, Why not a podcast in Italy? Well, sadly we forgot to bring our special recorder! But anyway, you will all love the podcast! It should be on in just a few days!!!!

U.S.S. Midway Museum Review

Review by Zach

The U.S.S. Midway is fun for the whole family. They have many great ways to see the museum. We went by audio and loved it. If you want to lean a lot about history come see this place on a vacation to San Diego. Inside, you can find manikin's, jets and much more. It is really cool seeing this place after it has been loyal to America! For more information, visit http://www.midway.org/!

Avengers vr. X-men

By Mr.Moneybag$

   There is this cool new comic made by Marvel and I was wondering who you think will win, Avengers or X-men. Go to cantact information to see how you can contact us, and if you think Avengers you are with my Geek department and I, if you say X-men that is okay but you are probably wrong, just to let you know.

Avengers Review

By Mr. Moneybag$

   The new movie Avengers was awesome! I think it was the best Marvel movie that they have made so far. Right now the movie has made over six hundred million worldwide. They have made over six hundred million within the first week in the U.S.! As you can tell this movie is a can't miss. My geek department all loved it. In case you are wondering what the plot is, it is about seven super heroes (including Nick Fury, the director of S.H.E.I.L.D., a government project, and Natasha/Natalia Romanov a former Rusian spy but now part of S.H.E.I.L.D.) who fight the evil Loki, the Norse god of mischeif and half brother of Thor (the god of thunder), and his army not Thor's in case you thought so). They team up because of something directed by S.H.E.I.L.D. called the Avenger's initiative.

Maritime Museum of San Diego Review

Hey everyone. If you are ever down in San Diego, you should check out the Maritime Museum! They have so many great ships. One of them is the Star of India. The ship sailed around the world 21 times. How crazy is that? Also, they have a ship called the HMS Surprise. It was used in Pirates of the Caribbean 4! It is like stepping on a movie set. Without the cameras and all the people. Actually, sometimes you can row a boat out to SEA! How cool is that.